Former Entain figure Will Thorp has joined Premiership Rugby club Northampton Saints as chief financial officer.
Thorp joins the defending Premiership champions in the East Midlands after over seven years with gambling and betting giant Entain, having spent time at KPMG UK prior to that.
The hire comes in chief executive Julia Chapman’s first season in charge of the club after previous role holder Mark Darbon joined golf firm the R&A.
“I’m really excited to be joining the team at Northampton Saints,” he said. “Working within the world of professional sport has always been a dream of mine, and being born and bred in Northampton, I’m well aware of how important the Club is to the town and the people who live here.
“Saints is an institution within Northampton and the wider area – there’s not a person you’ll meet around here who doesn’t know all about the Club and what it has achieved over the years.
“Rugby, as a whole, is a sport which currently has evident financial challenges, and Saints are no exception to that – despite a strong record of revenue growth, and lower losses relative to many other clubs, Saints are still some way off achieving financial sustainability.
“It’s an exciting prospect for me to be honest; the Club’s ambition is to become a profitable and financially sustainable business and that’s a journey I’m excited to help drive.”
The appointment of Thorp comes just weeks after Chapman called for a reduction in the salary cap to help save Premiership clubs. Northampton reported a £1.7m loss for their most recent accounts for 2024.
“It’s hard to deny that rugby, not just Saints, but most of the clubs, is in a challenging financial position because it’s not sustainable to lose money forever,” she said.
